Deeds for the grave of a woman named Eleanor Rigby, who may have been the inspiration for the Beatles song of the same name, are being auctioned in September at the Beatles Memorabilia Auction in Warrington, England.
Paul McCartney said the name just came to him when he put it in the song the Beatles released as the B-side to "Yellow Submarine" in 1966. But in the 1980s, a gravestone bearing the same name was discovered at St. Peter’s church in Woolton, Liverpool, where McCartney and John Lennon first met.
According to British law, purchasers of gravesites have exclusive burial rights for 99 years, but once the space is sold again, others can be buried there 75 years after the last burial. For Eleanor Rigby’s grave, the last burial was in 1949, so someone could be buried there in about seven more years, The Guardian reported.
The site is up for auction with a miniature Bible with Rigby’s name inside, and a handwritten score of the song. The gravesite and Bible are expected to sell for about $3,000 each, and the song’s score is expected to get upwards of $25,000, according to AV Club.
Near Rigby’s grave is another grave with the name McKenzie, which also was used in the song, The Sun reported.
Twitter users were alternately creeped out and intrigued by the auction.